Jay Paterno focusing on things he can control

COLUMBUS, Ohio - As Jay Paterno sat down in the media room after Penn State got its first win without his father as the coach in almost 46 years, he made a simple request to reporters.

"No questions about emotions, please," he said with a smile, one week removed from tearing up in a postgame television interview.

But after everything he's been through the last two weeks, and especially with the shocking news that became public Friday, no one would blame him for getting emotional.

A day before Penn State played at Ohio State, it was reported that his father, Joe Paterno, had been diagnosed with a treatable case of lung cancer. But despite the emotions that come with news of a family illness, the quarterbacks coach was on the sideline Saturday helping to coach the Nittany Lions to a 20-14 win over Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.

"You've got to grow up and be a man at some point," Jay said after the game. "And that's part of how I've been trained. It's something that I'll never lose."

The news of the illness was yet another emotional blow for the Paternos and the Penn State community. The legendary 84-year-old coach, who won more games than any coach in Division I football history, was fired Nov. 9 amid the child sexual-abuse scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky that has rocked the university and left everyone seeking answers.

Interim head coach Tom Bradley, who addressed his team about their former coach Friday night at the team hotel, lauded Jay for the way he's handled the situation.

"He's done tremendous," Bradley said. "I check with him all the time. I tell him, 'If you have to leave the meeting, go. . . . If you have to do something with your family, go.' I talk to him repetitively about how he's doing. I want to make sure he's OK. Anybody who knows me knows how important I think family is."

It was such an emotional week for the Paternos that Jay could not pinpoint the day earlier in the week that he found out about his father's illness, saying: "Last week was a complete blur." He added that, in typical Joe Paterno fashion, his father had been downplaying the illness.

"You know my dad, 'Oh, it's fine,' " he said. " 'You guys leave me alone.' "

Though he said it's still weird walking onto the field and not seeing his father, Jay said his job has helped distract him from everything going on surrounding his family. His father taught him, he said, to focus on things he can control. When he goes to work, he tries to stay focused on football.

"When you get home, you're not sleeping much when you're thinking about that, you're thinking about the game," he said. "If I didn't do my job and didn't carry it like I'm supposed to, I think I'd be disappointed in myself. It's one of those things you've got to do."

Like Bradley, Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin also praised his position coach. He said Jay did a great job of keeping his emotions in check and focusing on the game Saturday, "but after the game, he broke down a little bit."

"It's definitely tough on him," McGloin said. "I can't imagine being in the guy's position. But he's done a great job focusing on the game and focusing on what he has to do as a coach to get us ready."